Waking up in Another Place
by N170017
Summary: Buffy and Dawn's wishes lead Buffy to a sort of 'what if' life. Now it's up to Angel, Spike and Buffy to find Dawn and get home. This story is kinda a au.


Title: Waking up in another place

Author: N170017

Note: To say I'm frustrated with my computer is an understatement. The keyboard only sometimes agrees to work... causing me to write backwards and very incorrectly. So I'm sorry if this story is quite difficult to read. I just wanted to state that, so people don't yell at me for the weirdest words. I have no idea what's wrong with this keyboard. Does anyone know?

Well more to the point: I have re-written this story because lately I just can't make myself type third person omniscient. I don't know what happened to my mind... but yes I just can't. So I changed it to first person POV. The old files of this story were evilly glaring me down. I need to fix the next few chapters and add to them so I don't know when I shall get a chance to post them. So that's all I wish to inform you of. I hope you like this version better but if you don't please tell. This story is my take on a wish verse that I was thinking about one day. It takes place in the fifth season of Angel. Now on with the story!

"Sometimes I wish," I proclaimed to a very upset Dawn, "That we were back in LA with mom and dad. One happy family." Nothing was going right today, I couldn't stand being in Rome. Why had I left the U.S.? Why had I made Dawn leave? We were happy there, when something wasn't trying to kill us anyway.

Dawn looked at me anger evident in her eyes. I know I shouldn't get mad at her but after my day I sure wasn't going to be able to hold it back. It had been one bad thing right after another. Starting with Andrew waking me up at 4am and followed by Dawn spilling coffee on me in the morning, and then there was my job.

I had gone back to being a guidance councilor, which I really liked doing surprisingly, except for today. You see this guy; (Lacer) that I had been counseling was in the hospital. His dad had apparently shot him in the knee, can you say owe? Lacer's dad was a bit crazy but he had been doing okay lately and Lacer was just starting to get back into his own life. Then this happens. So I went to see him today and lets just say it wasn't my idea of fun.

Then what do I get when I come home? Dawn making out with her two-week boy toy, Jarde? Not fun at all... He left immediately so that Dawn and I could 'talk'. But I hardly got a chance for that because she got really mad at me and ran off. I followed her as she ran, which just pissed her off more... In any case she stopped running at this park. "I wish you weren't my sister," she fumed, maybe I really should have just let her ran off. Dawn looked into my eyes and harrumphed and took off again. This time I wasn't going to follow, I'd tried that and it didn't work. I sat down on a bench feeling emotionally drained.

I was now alone in the middle of Rome. I wasn't that bad was I? I know we had our differences, but didn't she understand what I was giving up being her legal guardian? Her words cut me deep, they weren't something that I could fight off, they weren't something that I could un-do.

"Granted", I heard faintly behind a bush. What was that? Who was that? I stood up to check but a wave of dizziness pressed me down again. A sharp pain plummeted down the side of my head. Just the way to finish my day, I slumped back down on the bench. That was the last thing I can remember before everything went dark.

I awoke later to the smell of ham and eggs. Where was I? I looked down; I was in a bed covered with blankets. I touched my head, and winced, the memories of last night filtering through my head. When had I walked home? Had someone helped me? What caused me to blank out? I sat up and looked around the room I was in. That's strange... it's my old room from LA. I got out of the bed, my old bed and looked towards the mirror over my old dresser. I look the same, except my hairs longer. Past my shoulders, I turned, and close to halfway down my back. "What the," I exclaimed.

"Honey, you have to get ready now or you'll be late," a voice called to me from another room.

"Okay," I called back. It sounded like mom. How had she gotten here? I quickly ran a shower and got changed into a pink slip dress. I stuffed my feet into some comfy sandals and walked over to where the voice had come from, the kitchen.

"Honey are you okay? I got your books together for you. There over on the table," mom pointed. "I made ham and eggs. Do you want any?" Mom? I've missed you so much...

"I'm okay and no I'm not hungry... books?" was all I managed to say back. This has to be a dream. No, it's too real; this must be another dimension or something. Did it matter I was home? Who cared if I ever went back to my reality? As long as my mom had come back to me I was happy here.

"Books for college. Buffy are you sure your okay? Maybe you're coming down with something." my mother replied worriedly checking my forehead. I smiled same old mom. I remembered the last time she did this to me in reality. It felt so good to have her home with me.

"Mom, I'm fine, what classes?" I asked playing along. I could figure this all out later. Hey, if I'm in LA I can ask Angel about this. In any case I'll contact him later and play this role till then.

"You only have pop culture and history today. Remember and then afterwards the nights your own." Mom accommodated for me. "By the way, don't forget that your dad and I are going out tonight." Dad?

"Sure, what time are my classes today?" I inquired flinching at the sound of dad. Wherever I was my parent's were still together. Wait. This sounds kind of familiar... Last night, didn't I make a wish like this? About one big happy family, maybe? Usually putting two and two together was really hard but today it had been simple. "Where's Dawn today?" I wondered out loud. I looked over towards the hall almost expecting her to bound in.

"Um classes start in a hour, I'll drive you there... and who's Dawn?" Mom asked looking at me closely. Where was Dawn? She was part of this happy family... I wish I could ask more but I couldn't.

When the trio put me into that wonky world where I was mentally ill Dawn hadn't been there, I had sounded nuts when I asked about her there. I couldn't take that chance here. "Oh never mind she's no one."

* * *

"Have a good time honey, I'll pick you up here at three," my mom yelled at me as she drove off. Oh god, where was I supposed to go? Pop culture and History, mom had said... but where on earth were those classes? I walked up to the building and reached for the handle. Opening it I felt worse. This place was huge; there was no way I was going to be able to find my classes. I walked down the hall and looked at the doors on my side hoping to come across either class. I had pop culture first so I'd better locate that one first. I held my books as close to my body as was possible and continued my search. 

"Hey Buffy, over here!" called a voice on the other side of the hall.

"Um yeah?" I asked. Was she talking to me? I didn't recognize her. She had light brown hair layered down to her shoulders. She was slim with bright brown eyes that made her seem young. I wonder what her name was?

"Where ya going? Pop Culture's the other way," I guess I did know this person. I felt a little stupid for walking the wrong way but hey it wasn't my fault I didn't know how to get around here. I walked over to the girl.

"Oh um..."

"Well it's a good thing I ran into you anyway. I'll walk you to your class..." I nodded. Thank god. I would have been so lost without her. "Thing is Bobby told me, 'Fara we need to talk,' and you know him that does not spell good," Fara? Is that her name? I guess so... I nodded. "Yeah but he said something actually really good..."

"That's good..."

"Yeah it is, for you."

"Me?"

"Yeah you, Bobby told me he really liked you and wanted to know if you liked him. So I said he should ask you out," Fara laughed, "I know I know isn't that just the best?"

"Uh?"

"Now Buffy don't tell me that your still obsessed about that Pike fellow? We went over this and you told me that you guys were defiantly over this time."

"Pike? Oh uh yeah we're like so over?" Pike? I knew him... I'd met him in Hemery... We were kinda a couple then, but when I'd moved to Sunnydale we broke up. I still remember crying over him. I wonder how we ended here...?

"Good, good, you lucky duck, Bobby's so hot. I mean H. O. T. hot. I wish I could get guys like you can."

"Oh Fara," I replied like I was exhausted about hearing her say much the same thing a lot. By the way that's her name right? "You get really good guys too..." I hope? Hey I could try to be support-y while being really confused...

"Yeah I guess Robby's fine but not as hot as Bobby."

"Rob's hot!" I hope?

Fara laughed and switched the topic; "Hey did you bring your essay for History? Cause I only finished half. Icks I know. Mr. Mallory's gonna kill me." I looked down at the books in my hands. Sure enough under my pop culture book, and on top of 'History for today,' was an essay.

I held it up, "Uh this one?" Fara didn't seem to notice my odd personality today I guess, or maybe this was how I acted... hmm?

Fara looked at it and grumbled, "I wish I was as good a student as you." She took it out of my hands and turned the pages, examining it, "This is so perfect. How do you think of this stuff?" She handed it back.

"Oh uh you know, it's uh natural?" There were far too many questions that I had no idea of the answers of. How was I supposed to know if I was any good at anything I used to be? Or, you know was here? This was so weird.

"Yeah I guess. Oh hey we're here. So talk to you after... we still meeting here after right?"

"Uh yeah?"

"Ok good, till then," Fara waved and took off down the hall.

"Bye!" I called after. I turned my attention to the doorway. It was open so I walked in and took a seat in the third row up.

"Hey Buffy!" a voice called to me from the front. How many people do I know here?

"Hey!" I responded.

"Come sit with me?"

"Uh sure..." I walked down and sat beside the guy that had called.

"So did Fara talk to you?"

"Uh yeah we talked."

"Anything relating to me?"

"Uh?" I looked at the guy's book in his lap there was a name. That's good it read, 'Bobby Hethers'. So this is Bobby? He was hot. "Kinda."

"Okay... so uh do you want to maybe go-"

"Hello class," I tall older women called from the front. Class was starting.

"Talk later?" I asked.

Bobby looked disappointed but nodded and turned to the teacher.

The class was really interesting. Funny thing was I really got what the teacher was talking about. "Ms. Summers what are the two main things that make..." Please not me. "Today's pop culture so important?" I looked blankly at Bobby hopping he might help but he didn't even notice me. I rambled something that I didn't understand and the teacher nodded. "Very good Ms. Summers." I smiled. This dimension was kinda fun. The teacher continued her lecture. "Okay class that's it for today you can go on with your lives."

I grabbed my books and got up. Bobby followed after me. "So Buffy what I wanted to ask was-"

I cut him off, "Uh I have to find Fara so you wanna ask me later?" I didn't want Bobby to ask me out. That would be even odder than this experience. Too many 'what ifs' ran through my mind at the prospect of going out with someone I myself didn't really know.

Bobby's face took that look of disappointment again but he hung in there and replied, "Yeah sure it can wait. I'll tell you tomorrow. Oh uh that's Saturday so uh Monday then. Hey Fara's waving at you."

I looked and sure enough Fara was standing there waving. I waved back. "Yeah talk to you then. Bye." I walked over to Fara. "Hey."

"Hey Buff... so what were you and Bobby talking about?"

"Nothing really."

"Oh that's too bad. Well anywho we should head off to History."

"Yeah okay."

History was just across the hall. We sat down somewhere in the middle. I took out my text as Fara walked down the steps and turned back, "Buffy aren't you going to hand in your essay?"

I should have known that... I picked it up and followed her to the front. Fara walked right up to the professor and seemingly started her excuse. He shook his head. I turned my attention back to my essay, where was I supposed to hand it in? I watched as another student set there essay on a neat pile on his desk and I followed their example as Fara caught up to me. "So what happened?"

"He gave me till Monday."

We sat back down; "Well that's good."

"I guess..."

The professor began so we stopped talking. Nothing really interesting happened. I wasn't called on once which was a good thing. I just paid attention. "Well class that's it for me, I'll see you next week." Fara got up and I followed.

"Well I guess I'll see you later then," Fara said as she started off. I looked around, feeling alone again. I walked back to the front of the school and found my mom waiting. Well that was lucky.

"Hey mom."

"Hey Buffy, how was class?"

"Okay I guess."

"Well that's good." I sat down in the passenger seat and thought to myself. Who would have been standing in the bushes? Why would they have granted my wish? Where was Dawn now? The car was so quiet it was almost creepy. "We're home."

I got out of the car. Home sweet home.

Thank you for reading!


End file.
